Saly Explained

Saly Portudal
Other Name:Sali
Settlement Type:Commune
Total Type:Commune
Pushpin Map:Senegal
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Senegal
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Thiès
Subdivision Type2:Department
Subdivision Name2:M'bour
Unit Pref:metric
Area Total Km2:14.29
Elevation M:14
Population As Of:2023 census
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:41811
Population Density Km2:auto
Coordinates:14.4383°N -17.0125°W

Saly (also called Sali or Saly Portudal) is a seaside resort and urban commune in Thiès Region on the Petite Côte of Senegal, south of Dakar. It is the top tourist destination in all of West Africa.

History

Saly was originally a Portuguese trading post known as Porto de Ale, which became Portudal, and later Sali Portudal.

On February 24, 1984, the resort was created on a previously unoccupied tract of land near the former trading post. It was about this time that tourism began to take off in Senegal.

Administration

Saly is part of M'bour, Thiès.

Flora

The resort is located on a sandy beach lined with coconut palm trees.

Population

The population is difficult to quantify because of the constant stream of tourists in and out of the area as well as the number of temporary residents. It has been suggested that an average of 20,000 people live in the area at any given time.[2] The resident population was counted at 41,811 in the 2023 census.[1]

Economy

Saly's economy relies almost entirely on tourism. Hotel complexes, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shops, water sports, real estate agencies all compete for the business of wealthy visitors from other countries.

Seminars and symposiums are often held in Saly.

Social problems

The rapid development of mass tourism in a relatively poor country has had some negative consequences, such as petty crime, prostitution, pedophilia, and the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

For a long time, these social problems were not discussed publicly so that the resort's reputation would not be tarnished. An observatory for the protection of children against abuse and sexual exploitation called Avenir de l'Enfant (The Child's Future) was created in M'bour by a Senegalese non-governmental organization in 2002.

In 2003, M6, a French television channel, broadcast a report focusing on Saly as part of the show Ça me révolte,[3] meaning "That Disgusts Me". The show had hitherto focussed mainly on sex tourism in Asia.

Education

The Lycée Français Jacques Prévert, a French international school, is in Saly.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.citypopulation.de/en/senegal/mun/admin/thiès/saly-portudal/SN13010257__saly-portudal/ Citypopulation.de
  2. Book: Lonely Planet. Sénégal et Gambie. 2006. 135. fr.
  3. Tourisme sexuel : des images qui font mal, vues de Paris. Karim Fall. Soleil. June 12, 2003. fr.